Where Michigan Ranks Among Most Popular Hunting Destinations

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As the seasons shift, Michigan's hunting season will be here before you know it. Many hunters are looking forward to two key events: wild turkey hunting starting September 15 and the firearm deer season opening on November 15. If you're a hunter, you'll be happy to hear that Michigan has been named one of the most popular hunting destinations in America by 24/7 Wall St., a financial and data analysis company.

They used data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine the top hunting spots in the U.S. Then, they ranked all 50 states based on how many out-of-state visitors they issued hunting licenses, tags, permits, and stamps to.

Where Michigan ranks

Michigan secured the 24th spot in their ranking. The focus was on the count of licenses, tags, permits, and stamps issued to non-residents, which totaled 73,705 (making up 3.3% of the total). As per the study, Michigan's sales from these non-resident licenses, tags, permits, and stamps stand at $4,851,976, placing it the 22nd lowest.

#1 most popular hunting destination in America

Idaho claimed the top spot in their ranking. The study pointed out that non-resident hunting licenses, tags, permits, and stamps issued totaled 277,899 (comprising 20.4% of the total). Additionally, non-resident hunting license, tag, permit, and stamp sales amounted to $27,522,085, marking the second highest in this category.

According to the study, the number of hunting permits given to non-residents varies by state, starting as low as 1,253 and going beyond 250,000. Several states in the Northeast, with their higher population and less available public land, tend to have fewer permits issued. In contrast, the South and West regions are home to numerous favored spots, with more federal land accessible to hunters. Wisconsin, Colorado, Montana, and Georgia are among the other states in the top five rankings.

In numerous states that rank high on this list, large game species such as moose, elk, and bear are major attractions for hunters. However, the latest National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Census Bureau reveals that whitetail deer is the most widely pursued game across the United States. With over 8 million deer hunters each year, this figure surpasses the count of wild turkey hunters which is the second most popular game says the study.

Take a look at the complete study here.

Deer Hunting Michigan

Kayla MorganWriter

Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She's made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it. She’s a true Michigander, born and raised. So, you can catch her camping or vacationing up north to exploring the downtown Detroit or maybe even catching a sports game. During her free time, Kayla enjoys watching movies, roller-skating, crafting, and music festivals. She and her husband together dip into many of the great things Michigan has to offer. Together they also like to travel. A few hobbies of hers include wine and beer tastings, crafting, hiking, roller skating, movies, home improvement projects, gardening, and festivals. She’s always looking to take on more local events happening in the community. She loves connecting with the community. When writing, Kayla covers topics including lifestyle, pop culture, trending stories, hacks, and urban culture.